In commercial packing, speed, i.e., the number of units per hour, is of course always a very important factor. In the past, charges of liquids, such as brine, juices, sugar syrups, etc., have been discharged, one at a time, into travelling container cans. A limitation on the speed of the operation has been that when the liquid is introduced into the can with more than a certain downward velocity, splash-out begins to occur, and becomes a severely limiting problem. The liquid is generally introduced in measured quantities under pump pressure, against a bias spring which yieldingly opposes opening of a poppet valve which discharges through a nozzle into successive cans. Earlier equipment for so doing is known in the art, and need not be described herein. The present invention deals with improvements in the final discharge nozzle, which, according to the prior art, is actuated periodically by intermittent openings against a bias spring of the poppet valve supplied periodically with a measured quantity of liquid; and particularly with a flared nozzle skirt associated with the nozzle and adapted to import a downward swirl, inside the skirt, to the liquid received from the poppet valve. Thus, by this means the downward component of discharge velocity into the can to be filled is lowered to the non-splash level.
The main achievement is in the creation of a swirl pattern which allows the liquid to enter the can, hitting the side walls at a substantial angle to vertical. If the liquid goes straight down, it has sufficient velocity to travel down the side wall, hit the bottom and splash back out. If it hits the side wall of the container and travels at a fair angle, it hits the bottom at a corresponding angle, diffuses the velocity of the liquid, and does not splash. Further, on larger volume charges of liquid, it creates a whirlpool vortex effect such as prevents splashing.